Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Confession. I definitely have a bit of a sweet tooth. Well, maybe it's not a confession. I don't think it's much of a secret. One of my favorite treats is ice cream. Who doesn't love ice cream? Sadly, my stomach doesn't allow me to have much dairy these days without immediately cramping afterwards. I can't tell you the last time I had Nuberri (my favorite frozen yogurt place in town). But it doesn't mean I don't want it! So my latest obsession has been wanting to make homemade paleo ice cream, but my lack of equipment kept me from trying it out (Yes, I know I don't need an ice cream maker, but how much more fun would it be?!). Well, my husband surprised me with one two weeks ago, but I had just started another sugar detox! ARRRGGHH! Luckily though, I came across a recipe that was 100% approved for my detox. I changed it up a bit to accommodate the items I had in the pantry. For those that are not on any sort of detox and would rather this be a bit sweeter, just add 2 tablespoons of honey in with step 5.

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Prep Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours
Serves: 4-5

Special Tools:
Foil
Ice Cream Maker
Small pot

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:
1 medium sweet potato (about two fists in size)
1 14oz can of full-fat coconut milk (contents should be liquidy, not solid)
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp of sea salt

For the topping:
1 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp of cocoa nibs (you can find these at Earth Fare or Whole Foods)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of sea salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 
2. Poke your sweet potato several times with a fork, wrap it in foil so the juices released don't make a mess in your oven, and bake it for 35-40 minutes. The longer it bakes, the sweeter it will be.
3. Remove the foil and let it cool enough to where you can handle it without burning your fingers. 
4. Remove the skin and put the sweet potato and the can in the processor and blend until smooth. 
5. Add the spices and blend again. 
6. Put the mixture into the fridge and allow it to cool for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how warm it is. It needs to be cold when you add it to the ice cream maker.
7. Add the contents according to your ice cream maker's manufacturer's instructions.* (Mine said add it to the freezer bowl and turn it on, allowing it to spin until desired consistency is reached. That was about 25 minutes for me.)
8. While the ice cream is being churned, take out a small pot and melt the oil over medium-low heat. Add the pecans and walnuts and mix them around in the coconut oil until they become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cocoa nibs, cinnamon and salt and continue stirring to prevent burning for a few minutes until everything is coated well. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Have a scoop or two of ice cream and top with your cinnamon-y nut mixture!

*Note: If you don't have an ice cream maker, when you get to step 6 pour the contents into a bread pan and freeze it for about 2 hours. Jump to step 8 when you're taking it out of the freezer. You may need to let it thaw a bit before being able to scoop it, so this is the perfect time to work on step 8. 

Smoked Cilantro Chicken Burgers

I am a big fan of chicken in all ways. Even prior to becoming such a health nut, I was inclined to order a chicken sandwich over a burger because I thought it was the healthier alternative. However, I've come to learn that most places don't serve very good quality chicken. Don't even get me started about certain places and their willingness to sell us meat that came from headless chickens from all of the junk they're injected with to plump them up! Eww. It's seriously disturbing. So I stick to my homemade creations for the most part. But a plain Jane chicken sandwich can be kind of boring. Well, I started thinking about how I could spice it up a bit. One of the spices in my cabinet that gets overlooked a lot because of it's powerful flavor is smoked paprika. It's really good, but I hadn't quite figured out a good way to incorporate it unless I was making BBQ. Well...You guys! I can't believe how well this worked out. The flavor is amazing and I am really excited to share it with you all. So without further ado, I give you...

Smoked Cilantro Chicken Burgers

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 3-5 (mine yielded 5, but I ate 2 and my husband ate 2)

Special Tools:
Food processor
Big bowl
Grill

Ingredients:
2 organic chicken breasts
1 medium sweet potato, steamed and skin removed
1 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of smoked paprika
2 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of fresh cracked pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly chopped
3 oz. of crumbled goat cheese
3 tbsp of fresh cilantro
1 tbsp of chives, thinly chopped
1 lime, juiced

Intstructions:
1. Put the first 7 ingredients into a food processor and turn it on until the ingredients are well combined. *NOTE: I did this in TWO batches so as not to overcrowd the processor. 
2. Using a spatula, remove the chicken mixture from the processor into a large bowl and fold in the red bell pepper, goat cheese, cilantro, chives, and 1/2 the lime juice. It looks really gross, but trust me it will turn out GREAT!

3. Put the mixture in the freezer while you go and heat up your grill on about 400. It just makes the chicken a little easier to work with.
4. Remove the bowl from the freezer and make the patties. My meat yielded 5 patties. 
5. Put them on the grill and turn every 5 minutes for 20 minutes to prevent sticking. Squeeze some lime juice onto the top of the patties every time you turn them. (Ignore the 1/2 eaten one my husband and I were taste testing!)

6. That's it! Top with whatever you want. I had tomato, avocado, and hot sauce. My husband went all out and put cheese and a bun in addition to what I had. Next time I'm adding bacon and a fried egg!

Cilantro-Lime Sweet Potato BLTA Sliders

Living a paleo lifestyle for the last few years has meant giving up bread, something I use to eat more than my fair share of growing up. I can easily name some of the restaurants that had some of the best bread and rolls I loved so much. Quincy's "Big Fat Yeast Rolls" was probably my favorite place until they went out of business in my city. But after giving up bread for such a long time, there aren't many days now where I say, "I wish I had a piece of bread with this." Now I look at it and realize that it's just a filler and isn't providing any real nutritional sustenance. However, there are certain foods that are kind of hard to eat without slapping it between two ends, like a BLTA for example! I suppose a lettuce wrap would do, but using sweet potato rounds adds flavor and cuteness!  

Cilantro-Lime Sweet Potato BLTA Sliders

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Special Tools:
Grill
Grilling tray
Foil lined baking sheet
Small bowl
Sauce brush
12 Toothpicks

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
3 strips of bacon, cut into 1/4 pieces
1/2 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 ripened avocado, thinly sliced
1 cup of lettuce (I used spring mix)
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 and 1/2 tbsp of cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven and grill to 375 degrees. *Put the grilling tray onto the grill about 2-3 minutes before you add the sweet potatoes to give it a few minutes to heat up.
2. Place the bacon on the foil lined baking sheet and bake for 13-16 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels.
3. Mix the evoo, lime juice, and cilantro into a small bowl.
4. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. I got 12 slices from each sweet potato.
5. Lay the sweet potatoes out and brush on one side with the the oil mixture.
6. Place the sweet potatoes brushed side down onto the grilling tray and on the grill. Grill for about 5-7 minutes, brushing the other side with the oil mixture and then turning and grilling again for another 5-7 minutes. The sweet potatoes are done when you can stick a fork easily through them.
7. Build your sliders with one slice of sweet potato on the bottom, then top with a piece of bacon, tomato, avocado, a piece or two of spring mix, and then another sweet potato slice. Use a toothpick to hold it all together. I served mine with some raw veggie slaw!